Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA)[1] is a regional professional, non-governmental, non-profit, membership organization, registered in Zanzibar, Tanzania.

The organization is dedicated to promoting the educational, scientific and technological development of all aspects of marine sciences throughout the region of Western Indian Ocean (Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, South Africa, Comoros, Madagascar, Seychelles, Mauritius, Réunion (France)), with a view toward sustaining the use and conservation of its marine resources.

This has led to the strengthening of the knowledge base within these environments and increased awareness of important marine and coastal issues.

At both national and regional levels, a number of important initiatives have been put in place in the recent past, seeking to improve both understanding and management of the marine and coastal environment.

Governments’ efforts, together with those of donor-supported projects and programmes, have allowed countries in the region to considerably strengthen the management of their marine and environment.

In this regard, WIOMSA's activities fall within five broad programmatic areas: Overall goal of the association's capacity development programme is to develop technical and managerial capacity as well as professionalism, and build the capability of scientists and practitioners to meet the existing and future challenges of coastal and marine management in the WIO region and beyond.

Through its Marine and Coastal Science for Management (MASMA) Programme, WIOMSA has supported experts from the region to pursue MSc and PhD degrees, while the Marine Research Grants (MARG)[4] Program has provided partial support to individuals registered at universities within the region to enable travel for research purposes.

WIOMSA's approaches to information dissemination and communication include publicationPublications | Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association of books/manuals[1], policy briefs Policy Briefs, regional Journal/peer-reviewed papers [2], newsletters, magazines WIOMSA Magazine, flyers and brochures and production of CD-ROMS, DVDs, and TV programmes designed to serve the needs of a wide range of audiences.

WIOMSA promotes partnerships/networks through a number of approaches such as linking multiple scientific domains e.g. connecting social and natural sciences through the competitive grant programme; institutional partnerships beyond the academic sphere where a number of science to policy initiatives have been facilitated e.g. through WIO-C, a network of implementing agencies active in marine conservation, Nairobi Convention (Nairobi Convention UNEP/Nairobi Convention Secretariat and WIOMSA, 2009); and linkages across geographic boundaries e.g. WIO-COMPAS Programme with the Coastal Resource Center of the University of Rhode Island (http://wiomsa.net/wiocompas/) and Memoranda of Understanding with different organizations e.g.

The MASMA programme aims to contribute to the knowledge base on the coastal and marine environments of the region, to raise awareness on important issues, to conduct and coordinate research activities of national and regional importance, as well as to disseminate information and data in support of the sustainable use of coastal and marine resources.

MASMA provides an exceptional foundation for addressing the pressing environmental issues of the region in a collaborative and structured manner.